Conventional high-frequency antennas are often cumbersome to manufacture. For example, antennas designed for 100 GHz bandwidths typically use machined waveguides as feed structures, requiring expensive micro-machining and hand-tuning. Not only are these structures difficult and expensive to manufacture, but they are also incompatible with integration to standard semiconductor processes.
Because of the expense and difficulties associated with micro-machined structures, semiconductor-based designs that enable the use of conventional photolithographic techniques in lieu of micromachining are needed. Such semiconductor-based antennas may then be integrated with signal processing and control circuitry onto a single or multiple substrates to form an integrated antenna and signal processing circuit (IASPC).
One desirable application for an IASPC would be a wireless remote sensor. The need for overhead intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance is growing in both civilian and military applications. A wireless remote sensor implemented within an IASPC would enable affordable detection, identification, and tracking of objects in urban and foliated areas. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a semiconductor-based remote wireless sensor.